Drowned cadet a victim of hazing? PMA investigates

The Philippine Military Academy on Wednesday said it was seeking more information from a social media user who claimed that one of its cadets who drowned this month was a victim of hazing. 

A certain Jose Larry Hermoso IV last week posted online cropped pictures of a letter allegedly written by Cadet Fourth Class Mario Telan Jr., who detailed his supposed maltreatment by upperclassmen before he drowned on Nov. 8. 

The PMA is urging Hermoso to give them or the police Telan's supposed letter, the copy of which was deleted from social media over the weekend, said the military training institution's spokesperson, Capt. Cheryl Tindog. 

"Iyong mga ganitong klase po ng mga evidence of serious cases such as maltreatment should be given to the authorities para po makapag-file tayo ng kaso at magkaroon po tayo ng imbestigasyon," she told radio DZMM. 

(This kind of evidence of serious cases such as maltreatment should be given to the authorities so we could file a case and investigate.) 

The PMA earlier ruled out foul play in the death of Telan. His parents did not know of any alleged abuse of their son, said Tindog. 

Telan was found dead in the campus pool nearly 2 months after another PMA freshman, Darwin Dormitorio, died due to alleged hazing. 

Seven cadets tagged in Dormitorio's death will face court martial proceedings that may lead to their removal from the academy, Tindog said. 

• PMA cadet 'punished' over missing combat boots?
• ‘Low morale na low morale ako’: In journal, Dormitorio reveals ordeal at PMA

President Rodrigo Duterte last year signed a stronger anti-hazing law, in response to the hazing death of University of Santo Tomas law freshman Horacio Castillo III. 
 
DZMM, Nov. 26, 2019